Whittaker: Day I knew I wanted to be a coach

Whittaker says being part of the management team during Hibs’ 4-1 win against St Johnstone last season whetted his appetite for getting into coaching.

The veteran Scotland international, pictured,was asked to assist caretaker bosses Eddie May and Grant Murray for Hibs’ first game on 9 November, 2019, after the sacking of then head coach Paul Heckingbottom.

The Hibees recorded a landslide win and Whittaker became involved in the coaching set-up under new head coach Jack Ross thereafter.

However, the 36-year-old left Hibs upon expiration of his contract, but found a new home earlier this week when he signed a one-year player/ coach deal at Championship outfit Dunfermline Athletic.

Whittaker is still planning to make an impact on the pitch, but knows his longterm future lies off it.

“When I knew that Stevie [Crawford] was interested in getting a chat going with me ,we met up and he wanted me to come here and play but I had aspirations to learn the coaching side of things as well. So, once we got chatting, we managed to agree that I could come in and be a player/coach. That is something that I am really keen on doing, I really want to get involved with Stevie and the management, have a say and use my experience in the game to help in any which way that I can.

“At Hibs, wee took the team up to St Johnstone and got a convincing 4-1 win that day. It was one of these things the players probably react to the situation anyway but it was nice for it all to work out on that day. That was just a little taster of it but it’s definitely something that I want to aim towards.”